


The Donor

by KateMcHughGorman



Category: X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-15 02:12:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11796291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KateMcHughGorman/pseuds/KateMcHughGorman
Summary: A new student is found in a shady motel. With the powers of body substitution and manipulation, she will prove to be a useful part of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Along the way, she will discover her powers, find a home, and just maybe get with that really good looking blue demon.





	1. Chapter 1

_ ‘An integral duty of being a part of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, is rescuing mutants of various walks of life, especially those in dire need of training. The school shall always be a home for those of good intentions.’  _

Raven was silent, sentimental as she and Peter piloted the X-Jet. Well, Raven was letting the young speedster sit in the cockpit and watch. God forbid if anything would ever happen to Hank’s beloved baby. Sighing, Raven closed her eyes for a second and tried to focus her mind. 

The lush greenery of Louisiana flew beneath the two mutants. They were planning to land in a small airport on the outskirts of Shreveport, and from there they would follow the instructions Charles had given them to the location of the _ ‘new mutant _ ’. 

It wasn’t uncommon for Professor to send off some of the faculty and a student to find and help mutants across the country; sometimes across the world. If they were young, the mutants were offered a seat in the classroom. If the mutants were older, and had the correct education and control, they were offered a place on the faculty or staff.  No one that needed help was ever turned away. 

“What do we even know about this chick?” Peter asked, sounding pouty over the fact that Raven wouldn’t let him steer. He adjusted his goggles, then crossing his arms over his chest. 

Raven, in her human form, hummed, narrowing her eyes at the various monitors and screens that lined the X-Jet’s interior. “She’s a hiding out in an old motel off Route 20. Non-visible mutation…for the most part. Nothing  _ seemingly  _ deadly, but certainly interesting. I know Charles would give  _ an arm and a leg _ to have her at the school.” 

Not understanding Raven’s emphasis, Peter let the odd phrase slide as the jet began to slowly descend. Once back on solid ground, the duo found the awaiting rental car, loaded in, and drove off to the meeting site. 

As per usual, the mutant would not be expecting them. 

Finding the run down motel was easy. Breaking into room 23 was easy as well, thanks to a well-placed kick from Raven.  The lock was no match for the mutant’s strength, and the door swung inward with a groaning creak. 

“What kind of person hides out in a crap shack like this?” Peter huffed to himself, noticing the various stains on the worn down carpet. Raven rolled her eyes, scanning the dim motel room. The only light that was on was coming from the bathroom. “This place looks like a scene out of a horror movie. I’m waiting for some wacko to crawl out from under the bed.” 

Ignoring the younger mutant, Raven made a b-line for the bathroom. Noticing the shape shifter’s tense shoulders, Peter grew silent, following after his teacher.  

Stealthy, Raven pushed open the cracked door.  

“Holy shit…we…we were too late.” Peter gasped, quickly turning his gaze away from the tub. Lord, he felt like he was gonna hurl. Raven hummed, ignoring her student as she stalked closer to the tub. “Woah, c’mon, let’s just call the Professor and get the cops here.” 

Sitting down on the rim of the tub, Raven stared down at the woman inside of it. “She’ll be fine. Give her a few minutes.” 

The tub was filled with ice, and inside the tub laid a bloody woman. A huge gaping wound in her torso was dribbling blood, turning the ice around her crimson.  Her skin was ghostly pale, her hair damp and sticking around her neck and face. She must have been in the tub for a while, since her lips had begun to grow blue. 

“What do you mean a few  _ minutes _ ?! What’s she gonna do? Rise from the grave-”

The mutant’s hand, which had been buried under the ice, jerked up and slapped against the rim of the tub. Peter screamed, speeding out of the bathroom as fast as the speed of sound. Raven rolled her eyes. 

“Can’t I heal in peace?” The mutant grumbled, opening up her eyes into exhausted slits. A gust of air signaled Peter’s return; even though he looked a little green around the gills. Disgruntled, the mutant-on-ice stared hard at Raven before glancing back at Peter, who still looked like he might lose his lunch all over the filthy bathroom floor. 

“Miss Trevor?” 

The woman, who had once again closed her eyes, nodded her head. “Yes? What do you want?” 

Raven narrowed her eyes, considering strangling the rude girl. “I’m Raven and this is Peter. We’re with Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Our headmaster sent us here to get you.” 

The bloody mutant, Miss Trevor, groaned again, forcing herself to sit up. The once gaping wound was slowly stitching itself shut, much to Peter’s amazement. Miss Trevor pushed herself up and out of the tub, her sleep shorts and camisole soaking wet and drenched in her own blood. “And pray tell what does your headmaster want with me?” 

Peter offered her a hand, helping her step out of the tub. “Professor Xavier likes to rescue mutants and give them a safe place. Either as a student or a teacher, and he sent us to bring you to him, Miss Trevor.” 

The mahogany haired mutant snorted, pulling a towel off the counter and wrapping it around herself. “So, he’s got a home for strays, huh? And you can stop calling me Miss Trevor, I’m Shea. Sorry about the...well...” Shea nodded towards the tub, huddling in her towel for warmth. 

She always hated waking up in the ice, but it kept her from being bruised and sore.

“This is an opportunity that most mutants would kill for.” Raven hissed, disliking Shea’s description of the school. “Stay here or come with us, your choice.”   

Wringing the damp towel, Shea considered the woman’s offer. She’d heard of Xavier’s school, but had never considered going there. She had graduated high school a few years ago. Wasn’t that place for gifted little kids only? Then again, the guy with Raven looked around her age. 

Having heard the name Xavier many times before, Shea knew he was a good man. He and his students saved the world a few years ago; made good of their mutations despite the backlash from the ‘normal’ people of the world. 

Shea’s mind was instantly made. 

“Let me get my stuff.” Shea stepped out of the bathroom, her legs still a little stiff. Peter, knowing how long it took for Jubilee and Storm to get ready, huffed again. 

How long would it take this chick to pack-

“All set.” Shea cleared her throat, a ratty old messenger bag tossed over her shoulder.

Raven frowned, making her way towards the still-opened front door. “We may not be back..” She let the comment hang. The shorter mutant shook her head, eyes following Raven as the disguised mutant made her way to the exit. 

“This is everything.” Shea commented shortly, following behind Raven, the bag slung over her shoulder. 

Peter stood in the middle of the run down motel, confused. 

“Wait…Why were you in that tub?!” 

* * *

 

 

Flying over the state New York brought back memories for Shea. 

After all, she was from Upstate New York, so Xavier’s school wouldn’t be unfamiliar territory. She’d much rather be in New York than back in Louisiana. 

Hot, muggy, buggy Louisiana.

Above all else, she’d rather not be on this stupid jet. 

“Do you stop talking?” Shea hissed at Peter, who had been non-stop talking ever since they stepped foot on the X-Jet. Asking her about her mutation, why she was in the tub, and every other question under the sun. Right now, she was not in the mood to play forty questions. 

Shea hated planes. Hated flying in general. If she was meant to fly, the powers that be would have given her wings.  

“He does.  _ Sometimes _ .” Raven commented, snickering at the grumpy pout Peter sent her way. 

Shea sighed, her feet tapping nervously against the floor of the jet. She’d give her eye-teeth for a safe landing right this second. Glancing back at the silver-haired mutant, Shea felt a twinge of guilt at his pouting. She never was that great at human contact, but she might as well start trying now. “My mutation is biological manipulation and body part substitution.” 

Peter stared at her, surprised that she finally answered one of his questions. He kept staring, clearly waiting for further explanation. 

Before she could clarify, the X-Jet hit a small patch of rough air, the turbulence making the jet shake minutely. Shea yelped, curling in further on herself. Peter lent closer, his brow furrowing. 

“You’re scared? That was just a little bump! Once, me, and Jean and Hank were flying out to Italy to meet up with this kid that could  _ spit out acid, _ when we flew through the smog of an active volcano! We almost  _ crashed _ ! The plane was bouncing and swerving and-”

“Shut. Up.” Shea hissed, her fingernails digging into the seat beneath her. “Change the subject. Anything else.” 

Peter smirked. “What is your mutation,  _ exactly _ .” 

The X-Jet began to descend, much to Shea’s delight. “I can grow back body parts. Organs, skin, eyes; you name it. I can also control people’s organs and body parts. If I want your pancreas to suddenly explode, I can do that. If I want to take away and regrow someone’s lungs, I can do that.” 

“So you’re like a super donor!” Peter stared at her with wide eyes.

Shea shrugged. “Donations don’t make you the big bucks, speedy.” 

Landing was a little less terrifying than take off. The moment the landing gear hit the ground, Shea let out a giant sigh of relief. Unbuckling her seatbelt, the mahogany-haired mutant followed the two X-Men off the jet and onto the campus for the first time. 

The sprawling greens and castle-like building was gorgeous. This place looked more fit for royalty than a group of rag-tag mutants that barely knew how to use their powers. Feeling out of place with her bloody clothes and ratty hair knotted up into a bun, Shea followed behind the pristine Raven. 

Now that she thought about it…Raven looked familiar for some reason. 

Following through corridors of marble, warm colored wood, and guided light fixtures; Shea was silent as she took it all in. Used to ratty motel rooms or sleeping in cars, she found herself growing a bit envious. She wished she could have found out about this school when she was younger. 

“Nice digs, huh?” Peter wagged his eyebrows, arms spread wide. “Home sweet home, baby!” 

Shea spotted other mutants mulling around the house, some curious of the new face. Feeling shy, Shea didn’t make eye contact with anyone, and chose to face her feet as she walked. 

“Soo...why were you in the tub?” Peter asked for what seemed to be the tenth time. 

Clearly, Peter wasn’t one to take no for an answer. “Do you know how much a liver or a kidney costs?” Shea asked rhetorically. “Supply and demand, baby. And I can supply.” 

Peter’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “You-?!” 

Shea scoffed, crossing her arms defensively. Raven cleared her throat, ending a dispute before it could start. “This will be your room.” The blonde gestured to a green door. Golden numbers attached to the door, 23, glimmered in the chandeliers that lined the hallways. “You can leave your stuff here before we bring you to meet the Professor.” 

Opening the door revealed a simple bedroom. Tossing her messenger bag at the foot of the bed, Shea closed the door behind her. Once more leading the way, Raven nodded at the few students who were lounging in the hall. 

A boy around Shea’s age with glasses was chatting with a pretty red-headed girl. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, and the girl spun around with a curious gleam in her eyes. Shea made eye contact with the redhead, who smiled. The guy in the shades whispered something to the girl, who nodded. She suddenly grimaced, her nose crinkling as if she’d smelled something ghastly. 

Self conscious, Shea took a sniff of her hair. Sure, she smelled faintly of blood and sweat, but it wasn’t that bad...right? 

Sinking into herself, Shea hoped that the Professor’s office was close. She turned to ask Peter, to suddenly find him missing. 

“Don’t be surprised.” Raven could sense the younger mutant’s surprise. “Peter can’t go more than a few minutes without bolting.” Raven shook her head. “I need to talk to Hank again...there’s no way he doesn’t have ADD or ADHD…” She muttered to herself. 

Before long, they stood before a rather intimidating door. Painted the same green as all the others, there were no golden numbers on it. A simple black plaque reading  _ ‘Professor Charles Xavier’ _ engraved in white was attached to the door. 

Raven knocked at the door before letting herself in. The office was clean, but every inch was packed. Bookshelves filled with books, file cabinets filled with papers, shelves filled with knick-knacks, and walls filled with certificates, pictures, and expensive artwork. Clearly, Professor Xavier was a man of studies and the mind. 

Literally. 

“Miss Trevor, it’s nice to meet you.” A stoic bald man sat behind a desk, his eyes shimmering with an ageless kindness. Shea couldn’t help but smile, even though it felt a little awkward. “I’m Charles Xavier, take a seat, won’t you?” 

Pulling out one of the chairs in front of his desk, Shea cautiously took a seat. Charles smiled at the younger mutant, politely ignoring her obvious discomfort. Raven patted Shea on the shoulder before leaving the office, closing the door quietly behind her. 

Charles was silent for a moment, eyes trained on Shea, who sat in the chair stiffly. The bald mutant smiled, sitting up a little straighter. 

“I hope you didn’t mind being uprooted.” Charles offered. “I assume Raven told you about my offer.” 

Shea huffed. “I understand...I think. I just don’t understand why you want me to be here.” 

“I think you can gain better control of your powers here. Find the true extent of your gifts...doesn’t that sound much better than selling your organs for money, miss Trevor? You can use your gifts to protect and help other people...and at this school, we can help you achieve that.” 

Shea pursed her lips. Helping people, having a real life, a meaningful life...that did sound appealing. Not having to slice herself open every few weeks for a few thousand dollars sounded nice. She’d never kept an organ for longer than a few weeks since she’d set off on her own. 

“What would you want?” Shea was skeptical. No one ever wanted to help her for nothing. 

Professor Xavier raised a brow in confusion. Shea narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “Everything comes with a price. Even kindness.” 

Holding his hands up, Charles shook his head. “We’d ask nothing more than we do of our other students. We ask that you train, help other people, and look out for one another.” 

Shea considered the offer. It seemed to good to be true. 

Charles frowned, witnessing the darkness inside the young girl’s mind. In rapid succession, he could see every unsafe situation, dark room, and sketchy person that Shea had been forced to work with. 

“How many students are here?” The soft question surprised the professor. 

Professor X smiled, knowing that Shea would fit in eventually. “There are about sixty students, but new gifted youngsters are popping up everyday. Like yourself.” 

Shea pursed her lips, trying to hide a smile. “I’m not sure how useful my powers will be to you-”

“Your gifts are useful.” Charles cut her off. “And so are you. I’ll set you up with a light schedule so you can get used to the school. You’ve already met Raven, who’s one of our most gifted teachers. I’m sure you’ll find your niche quickly.” 

Smiling, Shea nodded. “I uh...I’m not the best with people.” 

Sending out a mental call to Jean, Charles smiled. “You wouldn’t be the only one here. I myself, rather the company of books to people. Less to listen to.” The professor grumbled the last part to himself.  

A knock on the door almost jolted Shea out of her chair. The door swung open gently, revealing the pretty redhead from the hallway. Her eyes held a similar glimmer to Charles’, and Shea wondered if they were perhaps related. 

“This is Jean, she will show you around the campus.” Charles nodded to the redhead, who smiled widely at Shea. Unbeknownst to Shea, this was a common practice. Jean would lead a prospective student around the school, scanning their mind to see if they posed a potential threat. 

Shea stood up too quickly, almost knocking the chair over. Nervously wiping her hands on her shorts, she stuck her hand out to Jean. “Hi, I’m Shea.” 

Jean smiled back. “It’s great to meet you. C’mon, I think you should shower before I show you around.” 

Self conscious once more, Shea cringed. “Oh, I uh…” Long gone was the snappy sarcastic girl that Raven had found. In her place was an awkward, blood stained girl. Jean instantly picked up on her distress. 

“You’ve got some blood on you.” Jean said kindly. “Some of the younger kids don’t take well to the sight of blood...not sense the school...well, blew up.” 

Shea cringed. She remembered seeing that on TV. It seemed crazy at the time, four horsemen attacking a school full of students, and that school suddenly blowing to smithereens. Shea remembered turning the TV off, she hadn’t wanted to see the horror.  

“I think you’re right.” Shea agreed. She honestly hadn’t taken stock of how she looked when she left the motel. Surely, Shea did not want her first impression to be a bloody cami and sleeping shorts. She was sure her hair looked like a rat’s nest as well. 

“Let’s go.” Jean held the door open for her, a friendly smile on her freckled face. 

Shea glanced back at the professor, who was calmly watching her. “Thank you...for ya’ know...everything. Finding me and...stuff.” 

Charles smiled, perfectly white teeth gleaming back at her. “You’re welcome, Miss Trevor. After the tour, Miss Grey will bring you back here.” 

Following the redheaded girl back to her room, Shea took in the elegance of the school. Unbeknownst to Shea, Jean was scouring her mind. When she realized the awkward silence, Jean shook herself out of Shea’s mind. 

“So!” Jean awkwardly chirped. “We have communal bathrooms. Luckily you’re room is pretty close, which will be great during the winter. No one likes the cold run to the bathroom.” 

Shea pushed her door open, unzipping the ratty bag to pull out the few clean clothes she had. Jeans and a thin sweatshirt in one hand, Shea closed her bedroom door behind her. “Isn’t there...a lock or something?” 

Jean snickered at the thought. “We don’t lock doors here. You can lock the door when you’re inside, but we’ve never had a problem with stealing or anything like that. No one would dare to steal with telepaths in the house.” Jean tapped her temple. 

Surprised at the revelation, Shea looked at Jean in a new light. Jean cringed, used to the embarrassment that people usually felt once they realized her abilities. 

“Sorry if I...I...uh..” Shea smacked her lips awkwardly. “I’m not good at...people.” 

Jean smiled in understanding. “I’m not so great at people either. But the people here are good...better than most.” 

“I...I’d like to be around some good people for once.” Shea stood awkwardly in the doorway of the bathroom. 

Jean smiled. “You picked the right place. Now, after you shower I can show you around and introduce you.” 

With a growing sense of hope, Shea took the quickest shower she ever had. 


	2. Meeting the Manor

The school was fantastic, everything Shea could want and more. Every room was gilded in gold and filled with warmth. Every new face was friendly and every professor was welcoming. Jean, despite her saying so, was not so bad with people. She was a social butterfly, whom other students seemed to deeply respect or admire. The younger students seemed nervous of the redhead, but not fearful. 

“This place...is unbelievable.” The tour had ended outside, the large yard green and full of life. Students hung out beneath the large trees, or relaxed by the lake. The smell of someone cooking on a grill caught Shea’s nose. 

“Isn’t it? It’s hard to believe how quickly we rebuilt.” Jean proudly looked out across the yard. “Rebuilding our home was a labor of love...I don’t know where I’d be without it. And soon, I hope you’ll start to see this place like home, too.” 

“Jean!”

Running across the yard was a girl wearing neon pink glasses on top of her head. Her curly black hair was pulled back into two braided pigtails, and her dark brown eyes were rimmed with bright orange shadow. 

“Shea, this is Jubilee.” Jean introduced the brightly colored girl. “Ju, this is Shea. Raven and Pete picked her up today.” 

Jubilee looked like she wanted to squeal. “New meat!” She squeaked happily, clapping her hands. “Are you gonna stay? Of course you are! If you do, we should totally go shopping. Or get our nails done! This is so exciting!” 

Eyes growing larger, Shea nodded her head. This girl reminded her of another talkative student.  “Do you know Peter?” 

Bursting out laughing, Jean had to turn away. Jubilee cocked her head to the side, confused. “Yeah, why? He’s always around! And he talks so much! He’s like never sitting down or quiet.” 

“Oh.. _ hmm _ ...must be a struggle.” Shea deadpanned awkwardly, inwardly begging Jean to save her. God, she wasn’t good at small talk. 

Especially ironic small talk. 

“I don’t know.” Jubilee shook her head. “He does have a great sense of style. Those goggles are so cute! If they came in brighter colors I’d totally get a pair.” 

“Yeah? You seem very...colorful.” Shea was mentally begging for salvation.

Jubilee smiled and did a little spin. “Thanks! Scott is saying that I should lose the jacket, but it’s like my trademark now.” 

Her jacket was very bright. 

“You know Scott is just being an ass.” Jean rolled her eyes. “Do you know where he is? Or Kurt?” 

Chewing on her lip, Jubilee shrugged. “I  _ think  _ I saw him in the library with Johnny and Kurt’s in training with Doctor McCoy. Shea, you are gonna love those guys! Scott and Jean are so cute together- if only Jean would grow a pair and-” 

“Alright!” Jean sang, grabbing Shea’s arm and beginning to jog away. “See you later!” 

Jubilee laughed, a victorious gleam in her eye. “You can’t run from your problems, Grey!” 

Shea snorted, surprised at how pink Jean was getting. “You don’t save me from small talk, but you’ll save yourself from whatever  _ that  _ was…” 

Jean ignored her, making a beeline for the door closest to the library. 

“Is this Scott guy your boyfriend or….?” 

“Nope!” Jean forcibly laughed. Even Shea could tell that Jean was having major mood swings about this guy. “We’re friends, just friends.” 

Not wanting to push the subject with her new friend... _ acquaintance _ ? Shea allowed herself to be dragged into the school and down the corridor to the library. The musky smell of aged papers and leather filled the air. An elderly man was sitting quietly at the main desk, his three pairs of eyes reading three different books.  

A few students were studying quietly and a few others were reading or searching for a new book. Whispered voices could be heard, but not loud enough to discern what their conversations were about. Jean lead Shea to a small circular table where a guy wearing big black glasses was sitting with a younger boy. 

“Hey, Scott. Johnny.” Jean smiled at the younger boy, who looked frustrated. He huffed, crossing his arms and hiding his face in his arms. “Rough day?” 

Scott, who Shea was sure she’d caught a glimpse of him in the hallway earlier, nodded. “Math isn’t a great subject. But it’s important, right?” 

“Right!” Jean said, seeing the younger student looking at her for confirmation. Johnny’s eyes then landed on Shea, curious on what she could say to inspire him to make another attempt at math. 

“Uh...yeah.” Shea scratched the back of her neck. “I mean...numbers are important.”  

Johnny pouted, glaring down at his textbook. 

“Shea, this is Scott Summers and he’s tutoring Johnny Heere.” Jean patted Johnny’s shoulder, who smiled up at the redhead in mental exhaustion. Scott smiled up at Shea, who waved back at him.  

Scott held out his hand, a genuinely kind smile adorned his face. “It’s nice to meet you.”  

“You, too.” Shea was a little unnerved that she couldn’t see his eyes through his shades. Was he looking at her? Did she have something in her hair? Or teeth? 

God, she hated not being able to read people. 

“I don’t have that problem.” Jean smirked at her. 

“Stay outta my mind, you!” 

With a quick farewell to Johnny and Scott, Jean showed Shea to the cafeteria. Shea was sure she was going to be lost often, but Jean promised her that she’d figure her way around before she knew it. 

“Would you like to sit with me?” Jean offered. “You still have to meet Kurt and Ororo.” 

Not wanting to eat dinner alone, Shea quickly agreed. Students of various ages flooded the large dining room, toting trays filled with delicious looking food. The youngest students, some who looked as young as seven-years-old, looked up at Shea in curiosity. She waved, smiling in a way she hoped wasn’t too awkward. 

“Food first!” Jean was making a bee-line for the lunch queue. “You came on a good day.” 

Following closely behind Jean, Shea found a wide variety of food to choose from. Simple foods like sandwiches, hamburgers, and salads seemed to be an everyday staple. Today seemed to be chili day, to which Shea was happy. She was never one to be picky with food. 

Trays loaded with food, Jean brought Shea over to a table at the far corner of the room underneath the windows. Scott was already sitting there with a white-haired girl. 

“Hey, guys.” Jean plopped down next to Scott. “Ro, this is Shea. It’s her first day.” 

Assuming the girl was the Ororo that Jean had mentioned before, Shea smiled at her. Ororo was gorgeous, with white hair spiked into a mohawk, and intense eyes. 

“Peter was telling me about you. Bathtub girl.” The accent.. _.Egyptian maybe _ ...flowed off Ororo’s tongue beautifully. This girl was surely a knockout. Shea found her own palms sweating. “Sounds like you’ve...done what you had to do.” 

Unashamed, Shea nodded. “Life is hard. I’m not sure I’d be here if I didn’t do the things I’ve done.” 

Ororo smiled, and deep down Shea felt that she must have understood somehow. She dropped the conversation, staring down into her chili. “You’ve got nice food here.” Shea eagerly dug into her food, even though it burned the roof of her mouth. 

“Look who I found!” Jubilee seemed to pop out of the crowd, dragging another student behind her. She sat down next to Shea, tossing the other student in the chair next to Jean. 

Much to Shea’s surprise, he was blue. Dark hair hid half of his face, which was covered in scrawling marks. His amber eyes made contact with Shea’s, and he quickly glanced down. It was then that Shea noticed a long, spaded tail swaying behind him. 

“Kurt, this is the new student I was telling you about!” Jubilee was practically bouncing in her seat. “I think you’ve met everyone in our little group, right?” 

“Uh...I think so.” Shea hoped so. She’d met more people today than she had in months. She was beginning to feel overwhelmed by all the new faces. “It’s nice to meet you.” She whispered to Kurt, who smiled back. 

Woah... _ fangs _ . 

“Hallo.” His voice was a whisper, barely heard over the din of the other students. “I am Kurt Vagner.” 

“Shea Trevor.” Suddenly her food didn’t seem to important. What was his accent? Austrian? Whatever it was, it was thick like honey. He had a long strand of beads that he fiddled with; three long clawed digits twirling the beads with care. 

Was that a rosary? 

“Has the Professor given you a schedule yet?” Scott asked. Shea shook her head.

“He’s going to give her one at the end of the day. Light duty, right?”  Jean smiled at Shea. She understood how overwhelmed Shea felt. She had felt the same not too long ago. 

Shrugging, the brunette focused back onto her food. “I’m not sure what that entails, but yeah. What’s a normal day like around here?” 

“Fun! The high school students have to take normal classes, but older students only have to take specialized courses or college ones if they want.” Jubilee shoved her schedule under Shea’s nose. It seemed she was taking a few design courses...as well as classes on plasma and energy displacement… 

“Classes zat help vith your powers.” Kurt gave a sympathetic look. “Iz not so bad.”   

A blur of gray whooshed by, pushing Ororo’s chair aside. Peter was suddenly beside you, juggling an apple and a wrapped twinkie cake.  He grinned slyly, showcasing pearly whites. “Hello, hello, hello. Havin’ a good day?” 

“Better than before.” Shea glanced up at him, surprised by his appearance. It seemed like Jubilee was right, Peter always was on the move. 

“Well, you can’t get much lower than you were in that bathtub.” Clearly Peter lived off messing with people. That’s fine, Shea didn’t mind a little friendly jest. 

“My lowest was when I was stuck with you in the jet.” Shea didn’t waiver, staring down the speedster. His grin widened, brows rising up higher. Ororo snorted, jabbing him back with her elbow, reclaiming her spot beside Shea. 

“Buzz off.” Ororo shooed him. “You will not bother her on her first day.” 

“Without me, she wouldn’t even be here! I found and brought her back!” Taking the seat on the other side of Ororo, he took an angry bite out of his apple, quickly chasing with a mouthful of twinkie cake. 

Shea ate, enjoying the company of others during dinner. Chatter continued, mostly playful banter and light happy conversations. Thankfully nothing Shea was forced to contribute to. She was happy with quietly munching on her food, watching the others. 

Kurt didn’t speak much either. 

Jean watched the blue teleporter out of the corner of her eye. He always was shy in front of new people; moved slower as not to startle new possible friends with his quick movements. Self-conscious, the Nightcrawler was used to the horrified looks from circus-goers and other humans. 

“Where are you from?” Storm eventually turned the conversation back to Shea. 

“ _ Uh _ . Around here, actually.” Shea pushed what little food was left on her tray away from her. “About an hour away.”  

“You could visit your parents!” Jubilee, always the optimist. “Go home on weekends! I wish I could go home, I’m all the way from Beverly Hills.”  

Kurt glanced up. “Which I now know is not in zhe mountains.” 

Shea smiled, unable to at the sight of pure happiness on Kurt’s. He seemed like a really cute sheltered guy. Jubilee smiled at Kurt, patting his hand. “That you do, Crawlie.” 

Thankful that the subject of home seemed to slide away, Shea picked up her tray. “Thanks for showing me around, Jean. I think I’m gonna turn in early. Maybe walk around a bit.” 

“Don’t forget to stop by the Professor’s office for your schedule. And if you need anything, come find me. I’m four doors down from the left of yours.” Jean, helpful as always. 

With a quick goodbye, Shea left the dining room. The table of mutants watched her go, amused to see her turn the wrong way out of the door. 

“I never asked her what her power was.” Jubilee pouted, slumping over her tray. 

Peter, now munching on a sandwich, spoke with his mouth open. “She can regrow organs and mess with people’s insides. Weird.” 

“She seems nice.” Ororo commented offhandedly, more focused on her nails. “Probably will have classes with some of us.” 

“I say we ask her to have breakfast with us tomorrow.” Jubilee glanced around the table, looking for any rejections. 

“Ja.” Kurt meekly supplied. “I zink zat is a gut idea.” 

 

 

 


End file.
